


a week with the iseyas

by wonderfulcomplex



Category: THE iDOLM@STER, THE iDOLM@STER: SideM
Genre: Angst, Eventual Romance, Fluff, M/M, fuck im bad at tags, slow burn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 15:24:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13414125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderfulcomplex/pseuds/wonderfulcomplex
Summary: the cold is a lot more bitter once you’ve known warmth.--rei decides he is no longer welcome in his own home. and somehow he ends up in the care of the only person he's ever felt welcome by.





	a week with the iseyas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lauren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lauren/gifts).



He left for school with the quiet knowledge that he wouldn’t be coming back.

And with the quiet assumption that nobody would care if he didn’t.

Because for the 16 years Rei Kagura had spent living as the quiet, agreeable son, a prodigy, he had never received. Never received praise that wasn’t for the pernambuco he held between his fingers and weaved onto ebony chassis.

The moment he stopped being agreeable, quiet, the moment that something snapped, something that had been pulled tight around his neck for 16 years, they forgot the Rei Kagura they had known their whole lives, who revered his musician upbringing, and instead saw in him a selfish and unacceptable child. 

It didn’t matter how much regret he felt for what he had said, which honestly, was not as much as he was expecting. Because Rei was certain that they felt none for what they said in return.

Perhaps they had been waiting to let it slip for a while. And perhaps they were just waiting for the opportune time to say it, for the point where no matter what cruel scorn they let flow, the tears of a concerned mother and stiff father would be enough to keep up appearances.  
...  
It was cold.

Rei pulled tighter around his shoulders the blue cashmere scarf, an involuntary sigh ghosting into frost before the freezing air.

Considering that Autumn had only broke a few days past, and the leaves hadn’t had even a chance to become crisp, the sun definitely wasted no time in slacking off. If he caught a cold, in these circumstances, it would be even more problematic than usual. The very last thing he needed was to suffer in health, in school, work--

Work.

He should inform Producer-san of the situation. The logical thing to do, but still he didn’t take out his phone to do it. The producer would be awake, as Rei was convinced that the man never slept, but his hand still stayed at his side as he continued walking.

Rei knew that he would receive no lecture, not even a frown or chastise. That, he was not afraid of.  
Instead he was afraid of the burden Producer-san would put himself under to help him.

Rei thought of telling Tsuzuki-san too. But Kei didn’t have a phone. Well, he had been given 3, technically, all bought for him by the Producer, but all of which he had lost or otherwise incapacitated. 

More-so than help, Kei would worry for him. So no, even if he could contact the enigma that was his partner, the thoughts of his troubles becoming the troubles of another were too regretful.

Another sigh, perhaps more voluntary than the last. He really had no idea what to do, nor the emotional fortitude to decide. Perhaps it was finally sinking in to his conscious what had happened. The adrenaline he had walked to school on was fading, replaced with wear and a foreboding anxiety.

At least, thought Rei, as he entered the train station and cherished the artificial warmth that began to wade off the developing frostbite, he would have much time to hate himself on the train.

The way to the platform was the same route every day of course, yet for some reason Rei took extra comfort in the familiarity it provided.

Yet despite trying to take his time, when he got there he was 5 minutes early, which was 5 minutes too early today especially. Because it meant 5 minutes of doing nothing, which today was really not welcome. 

Distracting himself with surveying the platform, the people, the black haired boy wearing pink glasses...

Ah.

Rei forgot the one person he absolutely did not want to put a burden on to help him. The one person he absolutely didn’t want to worry about him.

The one person who would do both of those things in a heartbeat.

“Morning Reicchi!” said the boy, sang the boy, in that usual chipper tone. He must have ran over while Rei was panicking, because the light pink dusting to his cheeks was typical of exertion.

“Iseya-san...” Was all that Rei could manage in return.  
He was certainly going to beat himself up for forgetting. 

But seeing Shiki Iseya at the station every morning like this had become so routine that it was perfectly integrated into his day. 

Despite this, every morning he looked forward to it. Despite there being no colour to the leaves yet this season, Shiki Iseya brought colour in bucketloads. Except that instead of yellow, orange and red, he was an overwhelming neon pink. 

“I’m like, mega mega sleepy Reicchi...did you get enough rest?”

“I...think so?”

Shiki beamed, so bright that Rei felt himself go slightly blind. 

“Good! Don’t stay up mega late ‘n play video games like Hayato and Shiki-senpai, kay?” Somehow despite warning Rei off, his eyes sparkled with pride as he boasted of his unhealthy nighttime habits.

Rei was still anxious. He was still stressed, still metaphorically kicking himself over bad decisions.

But seeing the boy in front of him tap his foot lightly to whatever he was listening to, push up his bright pink glasses, flinch slightly as the train pulled into the station and caused his hair to follow the wind it created...

It was peaceful. It was like every other morning.

“We’re the same age, Iseya-san.”

Rei followed Shiki onto the train, listening to him protest about how he was a senpai in terms of video game experience, that he was a college student in hyper gamer vibes.

And for the first time this whole morning, Rei felt himself smile.

After Shiki finished, interrupted by one of his own yawns, Rei took out his phone.

『Producer-san, there has been a change in my living situation. This won’t affect my work, so please do not worry. Please inform Tsuzuki-san on my behalf.』

He almost put his phone away, and then:

『Thank you for letting me know, Rei-kun. Is everything alright? If there is anything at all I can do to help, do not hesitate to ask. 』

This was the response Rei suspected, almost word for word. Instead of guilt however, what he felt was relief. 

He was going to be fine, wasn’t he?

“Yeah!”  
The sudden yell made Rei and a few of the other passengers of the train start in surprise.

“Iseya-san, what was that for?” Rei inquired, doing his best not to sound condescending. He was genuinely curious, because he definitely had no idea what went on in his friends mind.

Instead of the rambunctious response Rei usually got when he asked Shiki something, all the other boy could manage was a sheepish laugh.

“I dunno...I just felt like I should do that to start the day, y’know?!”

... 

“Yeah!” Yelled Rei, nowhere near as loud as Shiki did, and his voice cracked a bit at the end because he tried to stifle the sudden outburst. But whatever embarrassment he felt was worth it, when he watched the sheepishness on Shiki Iseya’s face turn to surprise, then to sparkling, childlike joy.

“YEAH! Woo, today is gonna be mega hyper awesome!” Raising his fist in the air as if to declare that to the sky itself, Shiki relaxed back into his seat, his face collapsed into a sentimental smile.

Perhaps Shiki was correct, thought Rei.

**Author's Note:**

> knocks on your door at 12:13am with a warm cup of shikirei
> 
> this is inspired by something short that my beautiful girlfriend wrote for me; the difference is that her writing actually makes sense and doesn't sound pretentious as someone with a fist up their a--
> 
> i've never done a series before and I'm also known for not finishing things i start SO THAT'S GOOD HUH 
> 
> it seemed fun though and I want to try while also spreading the word of warm boys 
> 
> thank you for reading •◇•


End file.
